Here, Kitty, Kitty 1

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Photo credit Unsplash

A week ago last Monday, we had to take our 16-year-old, and much-beloved cat, Jasmine, to the vet for euthanasia. She had been terribly ill and although the vet told us she was terminal, we tried everything we could think of to pull her through. We prayed for her comfort and to receive wisdom for ourselves. The vet was right, however, Jasmine’s little body just couldn’t overcome the kidney disease that was ravaging her. We were so sad. She was a sweet and loving kitty and lots of fun to be with. Last fall, when I had a serious operation she spent most of her time sleeping on the bed with me. One of my friends said she guessed that Jasmine felt it was her life’s job to take care of us.

After our kitty was gone, the only thing that pulled us out of the doldrums was to begin planning for another cat. At the time the whole thing seemed complicated and scary, but the thought also gave me joy. Somehow I just knew it was something Jasmine would want for us.

On Tuesday we went to the SPCA Adoption Center so I could meet Catalina, one of the young cats I’d seen online. The kittens were playing in a room of their own, so we went in there first.

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Beautiful Catalina was sitting like a queen watching her subjects. She was four months old and much bigger than the rest. I picked her up, but she didn’t purr. Right away she wanted down. She was ready to get into the play-fray, and my stars and garters, she had so much energy I could hardly even think of trying to entertain her alone. I’m a snuggle/cuddle kind of pet mama and am not good at cat games.

At the shelter, I saw a kitten that looked so much like Jasmine I wanted to pick her up and hug her. Immediately I steeled myself to ignore her. Someone might say it was foolish to adopt a cat that only reminded me of different cat. Obviously, caring what other people think is a hard habit to break.

Photo credit Unsplash

We requested a guide and a lovely young woman showed us around and told us some of the newest research on kittens and cats. One thing she said was that their true personalities didn’t show until they were several months old. She said that studies have shown that kittens can’t always be counted on to stay as affectionate as they may seem when small. She also said that if you’re going to get kittens you’ll need two so they can play together. That certainly made sense! Two kittens focus on and entertain each other while one can be emotionally closer to a human.

“It will be twice as much trouble,” said Bill. But, I had the perfect comeback (from online)…

“Twice the fun,” I shot back at him. Bill folded like a Japanese fan, but we decided to wait awhile to decide and left the facility.

On Saturday, we had a conversation with a dear relative who is connected with the Sheriff’s Animal Shelter. He says they have plenty of kittens down there and it’s only about a 45-minutedrive. Over the week as I thought about getting two kittens my anxiety grew, but I thought it was only excitement. As we went along I began to wonderif I wanted to commit to taking care of two tiny, fragile kittens and training them for the rest of our lives.

We’ve decided to keep praying and keep looking. I gave the idea of a new companion to the Lord. For me, relinquishment is a necessary step when I want something. Then if it doesn’t come I know it’s not in God’s plan for me and if it does come I know I’m not on my own with it.

Stay Tuned

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

Tags: Choosing a new friend, Kittens